Smallville: Finale Review (4.5/5)

Hard as it is to say, Finale is not the perfect way to end Smallville- too many plot arcs get thrown into the mix, the storylines of some characters are ended with a real sense of cop-out and the villains who had been teased as having such large presences in the episode in fact recieved just a few scenes. Predictability rears its head, too, from time to time, as the writers fall back on the same old format of past adventures instead of pulling out many surprises in the way the narrative is constructed. On the other hand, many fans will not care at all about any of those drawbacks because as you can see Clark does indeed don the suit, and the moments leading up (up and away, sorry, couldn't resist) to his first flight as Superman and the reasons behind it are amongst the finest scenes shown in the programme's history- and far too good to spoil here! And that's the quintessential dilemma- you probably won't get to see this until the early days of Winter, and as such unless you find it online it will be a while before you can form your own opinion on the climax, at which point some of you will probably agree with me and others question my sanity at not giving this a 5. What I can say, however, is that as a whole Smallville has been an amazing drama, providing the perfect introduction to the Superman mythology and featuring a superb decade-spanning turn by Tom Welling as a completely believable Clark Kent. You are in for a completely unforgettable ride once the long wait is over, though, so here's a few teasers to make the waiting that much harder:
1. Four series regulars return, two series regulars don't make it out alive, one gets a great cameo.
2. Jonathan Kent's appearance earlier in the series and his return here are explained brilliantly, forming a really emotional plot that actually provides the crux of what Smallville is all about.
3. The story takes place in two different timezones.  
4. It's a long walk down the aisle.
5. More than one classic moment from each season is revisited. 
6. "Great Caesar's Ghost!"
7. For the hardcore fans- yes, John Williams' movie theme tune makes an appearance.
8. "It's time, ***."
9. "I'm saving *** from becoming **."
10. "Always hold on to Smallville."